The Social Conscience Committee

The Social Conscience Committee is charged with locating a worthy community-based organization in the city in which the PSA holds its annual meeting, for the purpose of honoring that organization through the PSA program and/or a monetary donation from the PSA. The honored organization receives the PSA Social Conscience Award. In addition, whenever possible, the recipient organization should be integrated into the annual PSA program by providing the organization with an information table and/or by having the recipient organization participate in a relevant roundtable or session.

The Social Conscience Committee is probably the most unique committee of the PSA because it relies upon individuals for membership who are living in the area of the annual PSA meeting and who have some knowledge of the organizations in their area. While nominations for the Social Conscience Award may come from a variety of individuals, they must be knowledgeable of a least one local organization in order to nominate it for the award.

The Social Conscience Committee consists of two members who live in the area (city or region) in which the annual PSA meeting is held. They are recommended by the Committee on Committees to the President and/or Council who appoints them. They serve for only one year. Appointments are normally made more than a year in advance of the time of the PSA annual meeting. The chair of this committee is appointed by the President and/or Council.

Procedures for taking committee action. The basic protocol is as follows:

The PSA Executive Director announces the award in the September and January PSA Newsletters. In addition, the Executive Director solicits nominations in the May and September Newsletters, and posts it on the PSA Web site. The names and addresses of the committee members, if selected by May, are also posted on the Web site and can be contacted with nominations.

The committee receives nominations either from the membership or from members of the Social Conscience Committee.

All individuals who submit nominations are sent a letter acknowledging receipt and are asked to send additional information about the organization if they did not include a rationale for their nomination with the original submission. This can include literature about the organization or information from the organization’s Web site.

The Social Conscience Committee meets to discuss the nominations and makes a selection based on consensus of the two members. The name of the selected organization is then communicated to the Secretary and the Executive Director.

Specific Duties of the Chair. The chair of the Committee arranges for committee meetings, facilitates communication with committee members and the PSA, and provides recommendations to the Executive Director. In addition, the Chair of the committee presents the award to a representative of the recipient organization at the annual PSA Awards Ceremony. It is the responsibility of the Chair to invite the representative to the Awards Ceremony. Finally, the chair keeps the committee’s file or archive, adds to it, and then sends it to the next committee chair.

Procedures for soliciting input from committee members. The chair communicates by phone and email with the other committee member concerning nominations of organizations and meetings.

Calendar of activities.

by September: Announcement of the Social Conscience Award is printed in the Sept. PSA Newsletter. Nominations are sent to the Chair of the Social Conscience Committee.

By February 1: Deadline for all nominations for the Award to be in the hands of the chair of the committee.

By March 1: The committee meets and selects the recipient organization.

at the annual meeting: The Chair of the Social Conscience Committee announces the award at the Awards Ceremony, which is usually held on the Friday afternoon of the annual meeting.

by May 1: The Chair writes a brief report of the committee’s activities and sends it to the Secretary to be published in the PSA Newsletter.

by Sept. 1: The Chair sends the committee’s file or archive to the new chair.

2015-16 Committee Members

Andreana Clay San Francisco State University
Cynthia Ganote St. Mary’s College of California